Encouraging audio without boundaries

LONDON — In an age dominated by video clips and algorithm-driven feeds, Podium.me — a United Kingdom-based talent development platform for emerging storytellers — sets a radical agenda by focusing on audio. It is a youth-led endeavor where under-25s gather to listen, ask questions, and tell stories in their own words. Founded by audio entrepreneur Camilla Byk, it has become both a training ground and a creative space for young people who might never otherwise see themselves as journalists, producers or writers.

Podium.me’s spark came in the aftermath of the 2012 London riots, when Byk, a lifelong radio listener, realized how rarely young voices were in conversations about the issues they face. She took her phone to the streets around Clapham Junction, approached young people directly, recorded their thoughts, and with their consent, uploaded the conversations as audio. The lack of visuals turned out to be liberating — no one was judged by their appearance, fashion choices or teenage acne. Attention instead focused entirely on what they were saying.

The participants’ typical response was revealing: “Can we be journalists too?” That question pushed Byk beyond one-off interviews into training, mentoring and ultimately a full platform for under-25s, helping them ask open-ended questions, let stories follow their own tangents, and stay respectful, honest and kind while enabling someone to speak freely. 

Contributors can remain anonymous, helping them express what they truly think without fear of being recognized or judged

Speaking freely

At the heart of Podium.me is a simple invitation: Every contributor can pitch an idea. It might be a personal story, an interview with someone they know, or a deep dive into an issue that fascinates or worries them. What distinguishes Podium.me is its deliberate rejection of a rigid “house style.” Each episode has its own tone and structure, creating an eclectic collection. Contributors can remain anonymous, helping them express what they truly think without fear of being recognized or judged. The learning is technical, editorial and deeply personal all at once.

While early work focused heavily on interviews and personal narratives, recent years have brought a wave of young writers keen to create fictional audio dramas. Podium.me has developed and broadcast these pieces, which Byk characterizes as fresh, imaginative and grounded in young people’s real concerns.

Five lockdown-set audio dramas in particular stand out. Created and performed by young contributors, they were broadcast across the U.K. and received strong critical reviews. That reach is significant for emerging writers who may never have imagined their work on air, and it demonstrates how youth-created audio can hold its own in professional broadcasting slots.

Audio in a TikTok world

When Podium.me began in 2013, young people were largely disinterested in radio and podcasting barely registered. Nowadays, podcasting is a hypercompetitive space; Podium.me attracts those who want an authentic way to tell stories. Byk sees short-form video platforms like TikTok not as competition but as different tools — one offers quick hits of interest or entertainment, the other creates a dedicated space to listen to a voice without interruption.

For her, the case for audio is clear. She compares an intimate phone call with an elderly relative, where you hold the phone close and sense every emotion in their voice, with a video call that sandwiches layers of visual information, self-consciousness and technical paraphernalia. The two experiences are, as she puts it, “chalk and cheese.”

For many participants, Podium.me encourages a shift in relating to others. Interviewing encourages young journalists to park their own egos, research their subjects, and listen carefully to someone else’s story. That practice builds empathy and dismantles social and cultural barriers through conversation. Teams frequently collaborate across nations and backgrounds, making recording a form of cross-border connection.

One recent project involved a Podium journalist from Pakistan studying for a master’s degree, who interviewed textile workers in India remotely. The result was a moving story of collaboration across political and geographic divides, enabled by the fact that sound recording is not invasive, unlike a camera. Often, finished pieces feature only the interviewee’s voice, underscoring that the value lies in the story, not in commentary about it. In a media landscape saturated with opinion, Podium.me’s restraint is quite deliberate.

No selection, no rejection

Podium.me is frequently praised for the diversity of its contributors, but Byk insists that this reflects the real world when barriers are removed. The project operates on a “no selection, no rejection” policy — any young person willing to learn a new skill is welcome. A recent open casting call for female voices for an audio sitcom illustrates this philosophy. Though the production did not need fifteen different female performers, Byk hoped to involve every applicant in some way, whether as a voice actor, a sound recordist or a collaborator on future projects.  

Over the past decade, Podium.me has become a launchpad for careers at the BBC, the World Service, The Times, Nigerian state television, The Economist, LBC and NGOs, as well as roles in political communications, theater and comedy writing; other former contributors now run their own podcasts. 

Alums often testify to the project’s long-term impact. At a recent Podium.me networking event, a young woman who had two weeks of work experience with Podium.me 16 years earlier reintroduced herself to Byk now as a journalist with The Guardian. She credited that early placement with giving her the confidence to pursue journalism seriously at school and beyond.  

Sustaining a youth-focused audio initiative for over 10 years has required constant adaptation. Byk notes that Millennials and Gen Z are distinct in their expectations and media habits, making it essential to meet young people where they are rather than cling to a fixed formula. She has also shifted some production responsibilities to others while taking on more personal projects, a move that sustains energy and opens leadership opportunities for new producers.

Podium.me is an ongoing project which encourages the younger generation to tell their own stories in audio formats.

More youth-made content

Looking ahead five to 10 years, Byk expects Podium.me to evolve technologically while remaining editorially consistent. Training and networking now often happen online, broadening reach but making it harder to secure deep engagement. Whatever recording devices young people naturally carry will define their production toolkit. 

For broadcasters or community organizations elsewhere, Podium.me offers a practical model rather than a rigid template for integrating more youth-made content. 

Byk’s advice is to map the existing landscape: Find out who is already working with youth audio locally and explore collaboration rather than duplication. Then, draw up a rough plan and treat it as provisional — the first cohort of young people should be partners in shaping how they learn and broadcast, and the approach must continually shift with emerging trends. Byk also discourages prescribing tight boundaries. For established broadcasters, that means keeping an open mind about what comes back, finding spaces in the schedule where a young perspective is genuinely relevant, and avoiding patronizing framing. In many cases, peer-to-peer reporting — young people speaking to one another — will land better than adults speaking about youth.

Ultimately, Podium.me shows that when you remove selection barriers, hand over the mic, and trust young people with real responsibility, audio can become the way for a generation to hear its own voice.

The author was head of radio at the European Broadcasting Union until 2020, and before that, managing editor of one of the BBC’s national stations. He currently advises media organizations.

This story originally appeared in the March/April 2026 edition of RedTech Magazine. You can read or download it for free here.

You can access all past RedTech publications, for free, here.

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